


The Essence of Silence

by LunnarEclipse



Category: Winx Club
Genre: F/M, around when she joined the ancestral witches with valtor, i want to post it on here to motivate me to write more, the story takes place WAY before any of the winx were even born, the timeline is when griffin was still a student, this is an old work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 02:17:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15500133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunnarEclipse/pseuds/LunnarEclipse
Summary: Aerona Carborane is a witch who was saved from a life of hostility. At Cloud Tower, she befriends a fellow student named Griffin, and the two become surprisingly close. However, Aerona's whole reality is shifted when Griffin hands her a book on a cult of women she has been learning from known as "The Mother of all Witches".





	1. Harder to Breathe

_"And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams._

_Is there anyone out there, 'cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe." -Maroon 5_

* * *

  _You have to run faster…_

_Faster…_

_Well, father told us to be careful where we tread. He said that there are people out here that will hurt you, regardless of your age--_

_What was that? It sounded like a bang…_

_Was it above on the surface? I don’t think so, it would have been lower in decibels. Then where would it have come from--?_

_There it was again. It sounds like it’s getting closer. What if it’s--_

“You there! Freeze!”

_Oh no, they’ve found me! I...I have to get home...I...I have to--_

“I said freeze! Don’t make me kill you!”

_No, please...you’re soldiers aren’t you? You wouldn’t hurt me, right?_

“I said freeze!”

_No! I...I didn’t do anything, why are you going after me? Please...just...leave me be!_

_........_

_....._

_..._

_Screams of agony...this newfound strength. I feel so strong. What was that?_

_Oh...they’ve melted. Their skin...their bones...their hair...it’s all sizzling away._

_Did I do that? Was that all me? Did I kill them? Did I….did I….?_

“Help me, my body is on fire!”

“You filthy little...m...ah...t...on...uhh….”

_I...I...their teeth….their tongue...their face!_

_BANG._

She awoke with a start as her heart pounded in her chest, and sweat sheened across her pale body. A trembling hand reached up to relocate some of the hair that had fallen in her eyes, before it went back to cover her heart. Another nightmare.

She sat up in her bed and swung her legs across the matress. Her purple iris’ flickered as she tried to adjust to the darkness in her room, and eventually she reached over for a conveniently placed glass of water. She took a sip of the liquid and the familiar burning sensation took place within her body. She took a deep breath, and after a few moments, her body had stopped its tremors.

“This has to be at least the third time this week,” she grumbled, and glanced over at a clock on the wall. Its face read 10:32. She had missed yet another class. She let out an irritated sigh, which caused her dark bangs to flutter in front of her. “Headmistress Aradia isn’t going to be pleased about this.”

She decided that it would be better to get up and attempt to be productive today, than to just sit in bed. Her body seemed to move robotically, and helped her when needed. When she glanced at herself in the mirror, she was at least clothed and her hair looked at least decent. Now where she was headed off to was another story.

She didn’t have any other classes that day, so her best bet was to go enjoy her free time at the library. It would look as though she were making up for all of the class-time she had missed. She grabbed her bookbag and started to walk to the grand library of Cloud Tower.

She loved to walk through the halls when there was no one else but her. It was just so tranquil, and it felt as though Cloud Tower itself was embracing her and leading her to her destination. The way to the library was fairly short, and she hardly encountered anyone else on her route.

“Aerona!”

Or so she _thought_ that she would never encounter anyone else on this route.

Aerona turned her head slowly to find her friend Griffin not too far behind. She was one of the few witches that Aerona had befriended. She was a fairly nice girl, smart too, and she knew how to use her powers extremely well.

“Where were you this morning?” she asked, and readjusted her square glasses.

“In my room,” Aerona replied bluntly.

Griffin’s golden eyes narrowed slightly as this response. “You had me worried,” she scolded, and began to walk side-by-side with her friend.

“I don’t see why.” Aerona said, as she shifted the weight of her bag.

“Were you hurting yourself again?” Griffin whispered, and grabbed a hold of Aerona’s wrist. She carefully picked up the loose sleeve of Aerona’s black jacket to check if any new abrasions had been made unto her skin.

Aerona quickly slapped her prodding fingers away from her arm. “No,” she hissed back, clearly annoyed.

Griffin frowned and let her arms flop to either side of her body. “Oh, okay.” she replied, and her eyes darted awkwardly to the side. “So, where are you heading off to?” she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

“The library,” Aerona said, and glanced over at her friend. “I just need to give my mind something to do.”

Griffin nodded. “Okay. I think I might come with you. I’m pretty sure professor Ediltrude gave us some readings to do,” she noted, while she adjusted her glasses once again.

Aerona simply nodded in response, and when they had finally made it to the library, she held the door open for Griffin. The two walked into the dimly lit room and were greeted by the eerie silence that the area was known for.

Aerona spotted a nearby empty work table and situated herself there. “I’m going to look for something to read,” she stated, and began to roam the long corridors filled with books.

She didn’t exactly know what she was looking for, she just needed something titillating enough to get her mind off of that horrible nightmare. The thing seemed to be repeating inside her head over, and over, and over again; it was as if it was on repeat.

Aerona shook her head to try and clear her thoughts, and made to grab a book on demon mythology. A swift hand halted her actions and took a tight grip of her wrist. Aerona flinched and glared at her attacker, which happened to be Griffin.

“What is it now?” she snapped.

“Don’t get that boring old thing,” she said, and lead Aerona to a much darker section of the library. Aerona had never been this far before, however she knew this is where the much stronger and much sinister pieces rested, awaiting for a naive student to stumble across their pages.

“A-are you sure we should be back here? I’ve heard that only those with handwritten notes signed by their professor can go here.” Aerona said.

Griffin laughed harshly at her statement. “You’re acting just like a _fairy_ ,” she teased, and took a sharp turn. “You don’t need such silly implements to be able to read these books. I go back here all the time,” she reassured, and suddenly stopped.

Aerona looked at Griffin, and her demeanor seemed much more serious than it had a few seconds ago. Whatever Griffin had been leading her to, apparently, she had come upon it. Aerona was dragged towards a table in the far back, on which stacks of old books were currently occupying.

Griffin finally relinquished her grip to more closely inspect the pieces, and Aerona followed her lead. “What are these texts? I’ve never seen them before,” Aerona said, as she picked up one off the top.

“That’s because you really have to look for these ones, which you obviously haven’t if you’re using some lame excuse like ‘you need a note’.” Griffin mocked, as she continued to look over the titles.

Aerona glared at her, and leaned against a nearby shelf. “How much longer are we going to be back here?”

“Would you relax? We’ve only been back here for a couple of--aha!” Griffin exclaimed, and in her hands was a worn leather book.

Aerona made her way over to get a better examine it. “What kind of book is this? It doesn’t even have a title.” she said.

Griffin huffed and shoved the book into her arms. “Why is the title so important? If it’s a title you want, it’s on the opening page.”

Aerona gave her a questioning look before propping the tome up on her knee. She slowly peeled back the leather cover and found that Griffin was correct. The book’s title was one the very first page, written out in fine ink, in bolded cursive letters: “We Are the Mother of All Witches”.

“What the…?” Aerona mumbled, as she began to quickly scan through the content of this book. Mother of all witches? Who were these people? Were they important to Cloud Tower? Were they important to Griffin?

“What is this, some kind of joke?” Aerona said, and immediately knew she had somehow offended Griffin by saying this.

Her golden eyes flashed dangerously in the low light, and Aerona saw her fists clench. “Joke? Why would _they_ be a joke?”

“They…? You mean, these mothers?”

“Yes, of course I mean them. Didn’t you even read any of it?” Griffin snarled, as she yanked the book out of Aerona grasp. She slammed it onto the table, which caused a cloud of dust to explode into the air, and began to flip through it. “Look,” she said, and pointed to a trio of crudely drawn portraits.

Aerona couldn’t understand what was going on. Griffin seemed rather hellbent on proving that this was important, but she just couldn’t grasp _why_ it was important. “Are they someone you’re learning about in a class?”

Griffin scoffed. “Of course not. No one here has the gall to talk about the Mothers. They’re too scared of them,” she said, and backed away from the book so Aerona could get a better look. “Read some of it. I’m sure you’ll come to understand when you do.”

Aerona decided to play along with Griffin’s strange little game, and so she began to read the text. Most of it seemed to be notes, and rough jottings of ideas, and none of it connected in a cohesive way. However, it was as she got into the middle section of it that she noticed something rather...strange.

It appeared that any random thoughts, or arbitrary potion recipes or demon incantations, seemed to halt here and instead, it was replaced with a conversation. Aerona counted four speakers, although no names were stated until a question was asked to the reader: “With whom have we been speaking to?”

And the answer was…. “Griffin”.


	2. The 13th Guest

_“_ _The tempter knows you cannot hide_ _from the dark,_

_And god repine._

_Seek and you shall find,_

_Spawn of hate, newborn._

_Summoned by depravity.” -Opera Diabolicus_

* * *

“Griffin?” Aerona gasped, and turned to face her friend.

“I-is...is this book talking to you?” she asked, clearly rattled.

Griffin nodded her head and walked over to where Aerona stood. “Obviously,” she said. “I’ve been communicating with the Mothers through it,” she flipped by a couple of pages, as an attempt to show Aerona that they had continued this conversation.

“A-are you sure this is safe?” Aerona questioned, her eyes widening slightly as more and more pages filled with dialogue swept past her line of sight.

“Of course it is! I’ve already met with them too,” Griffin stated, as casually as one would have if they were bringing up the weather.

“ _What?_ ” Aerona shrieked, and the book dropped to the floor with a loud _thud_.

Griffin glared at her for a second before she bent over to retrieve the discarded text. “Why are you so distressed all of the sudden? They obviously have some sort of affinity for me, otherwise I would have been killed the first time I met them.” she said, and her golden eyes softened. “Everything’s okay,” she placed a reaffirming hand on top of Aerona’s in order to help her calm down.

Aerona flinched at the kind gesture, and although she would have usually batted Griffin’s hand away, this time she let it sit. Griffin was usually so much more careful when it came to dealing with darker entities such as this. Maybe her judgement faltered along the way as she became more and more personal with these mothers?

“What do you discuss with them when you’re in their presence?” Aerona asked, and received an awkward side glance in response.

“I...can’t really disclose what the mother’s and I converse about during our time together.”

Aerona huffed and shoved Griffin’s hand off. “I can’t believe how irrational you’re acting. You could have easily gotten yourself killed.” she snapped, angry at her friend’s naivety.

“I told you, Aerona, everything is fine. As a matter of fact...if you’re so concerned about the Mothers, why don’t you come with me when I meet them again?”

Aerona’s eyes widened again in shock. “Are you kidding me? That’s the most absurd thing you’ve ever asked me.”

Griffin sighed, not really understanding where this sudden paranoia was coming from. “They’re not going to hurt you or me. As of recently I’ve been telling them a lot about you. They were curious about any relationships that I may have formed here in Cloud Tower, so I talked about you.”

Aerona didn’t know whether to feel frightened or honored. She had no clue who these women were, but if Griffin said that even the faculty were too afraid to teach about their history, she should have every right to be apprehensive. However, she couldn’t just let her friend continue to see these beings all alone now that she had found out this little secret.

Aerona let out a defeated sigh. “I’ll come with you.”

* * *

The day had finally arrived when Aerona would be taken to meet the Mothers. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. She had been tossing and turning the previous night, and had been continuously contemplating on if she should really do this or not. Despite her fears, she knew that she had to support and provide back up for her friend, no matter how bad of a feeling she got from this whole situation.

Griffin had gotten her around 9:30 at night and proceeded to lead her through the winding and twisting halls of Cloud Tower. Aerona was trying to keep track as to where it was they were heading, but Griffin kept taking her around sharp corners and around halls so quickly she couldn’t even fathom trying to pinpoint their location.

She guessed that the two of them had been walking for about ten minutes before Griffin halted in front of an old, cracked wall. The hall they were in was dark and damp, and appeared as though no one had gone through it for hundreds of years. Griffin placed her hand on the surface, and within seconds, a doorway had materialized before them.

“We’re here,” she said, and walked through the door.

Aerona took a deep, calming breath to steady her nerves, and when she was ready, she followed Griffin inside.

She was so focused on keeping herself unperturbed that she hadn’t noticed that she had to descend stairs in order to reach the destination. Aerona’s boot clicked against the stone and for a brief second, she could feel gravity roughly shoving her in the direction of the hard ground. She reacted almost instantly, and instinctively grabbed at the wall for some kind of foothold. Her trembling hands found a nearby torch, and she gripped onto it for dear life.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and it felt as though her legs might collapse from under her any second. “Dammit,” she hissed, as heat started to flood her face out of embarrassment. She peered ahead and noticed that Griffin had disappeared within the darkness, seemingly having walked ahead without her.

“Well, at least she didn’t see me making a fool of myself,” she grumbled, and yanked the torch off of its stand so she could use it as a makeshift flashlight. She allowed for some blue liquid, or liquid oxygen, to fall onto the kerosene soaked rag, which immediately caused it to alight.

Aerona placed the torch in front of her and began to make her way down the seemingly endless stairway. It seemed to go on forever, but Aerona didn’t mind the darkness. Her mind did stray to Griffin however. She hoped that she was okay, and didn’t suddenly become a frantic mess when she realized that her friend wasn’t right behind her.

Aerona suddenly noticed a strange, soft light, and as she continued to make her way lower and lower into the bowels of the school, it seemed to grow in intensity; so much so that she didn’t need her torch anymore. She pitched it to the side, and her slow, creeping pace increased to sprinting.

_Keep going…_

_You’re almost there…_

_Here she comes…._

“Who are those voices?” she gasped, and almost tripped again when her feet collided with ground. Aerona glanced around and saw that Griffin had lead her to a fairly small room. Nothing seemed to adorn it, and nothing seemed to inhabit it, save for three large, stone caskets.

“T-this is…” she stuttered, and almost screamed when she felt someone’s hand on her shoulder.

She reeled around to find Griffin standing there, a small smile on her face. “I’m so happy that you were able to make it down here okay. I was beginning to worry when I saw that you weren’t behind me.”

Aerona swallowed nervously. “Y-yeah...sorry to keep you waiting.” she muttered.

Griffin blinked, confused at her statement. “Why are you apologizing to me? You didn’t do my any harm, nor did you do any harm to the Mothers. I’m sure that you heard them as you neared this place? They’re quite excited to meet you.”

“Excited? To meet me?” Aerona questioned, as though it were impossible. Her gaze left Griffin’s face and she began to look around to room to try and seek out these women herself.

Griffin refocused her attention as well, except her eyes landed on the three stone graves in the middle of the room. “Mothers, hear me. It is I, Griffin, your willing pupil. I have come here with my companion, the one you all were so eager to meet,” she said, and pointed to Aerona as though she were some kind of offering. “Please honor us with your presence.”

“Why Griffin, you flatter us so with your eloquent tongue,” a sly voice muses.

Aerona whirled around to find three figures had emerged from each tomb. One had a blue aura surrounding her, while the other had a purple aura surrounding her, while the other had a red aura surrounding her. They all looked fairly similar, and the only notable differing feature would be their hairstyles.

“Do not be afraid child,” the blue-aura woman cooes. “Come, my sisters and I would like to better look upon you,” she said, and indicated that Aerona follow her command by the wiggle of her finger.

Aerona was visibly shaken from what she had just witnessed, although she did not want to see these women angry. She gave a weak nod and walked up to the three spirits, where she forced herself to gaze up at them in the eyes.

“I believe it would be the wisest course of action if we were to all introduce ourselves. I am Belldona, the oldest of the three of us.” The mother with a blue aura stated.

“I am Lysslis, the middle child,” said the mother with a purple aura.

“I am Tharma, the youngest,” said the final mother, coated in red.

“Now tell me, what is your name?” Belladona asked, her voice shaking Aerona to the very core.

“I-I am Aerona Carborate.” she stated, as calmly as she could.

“So, you are the acquaintance that Griffin has been mentioning,” Lysslis said, to which she received a brisk nod in response.

“What makes this one so special?” Tharma grimaced, clearly not impressed by the tiny witch that stood before her.

“She’s more than what she appears to be,” Griffin said, as she tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. She needed to keep up a respective facade as long as she was in the presence of the Mothers. She couldn’t afford to disrespect them in any way. “She’s dealt with many hardships in her life, and I believe that she is exceptional with her powers. She is a trusted confidant of mine, and, if I may, Belladona spoke of her as though she too believes that she has incredible potential.”

Tharma turned to her sister, an incredulous look on her face.“Is this true, or is this naif merely placing unneeded words into your mouth?”

“That is enough Tharma, you will not continue this impoliteness towards Griffin,” Belladona snapped, irritated by her sisters brash tongue. “What she says is true. This girl could be of use to us. I feel strong energy seeping through her veins, although her true potential has yet to be unlocked.”

Griffin gave Aerona a smile, pleased that the Mothers had seen what she always had in Aerona. “Do you think that she could help us with our plan?”

 _Plan? What plan? Griffin_ _never said anything about me helping them! Why would she say that, she should know how I feel about all of this. I don’t want to get involved in this mess._

Aerona bit her lip and began to nervously fidget with a loose string on her jacket. Hopefully whatever it was they were doing wasn’t anything too extreme. Aerona didn’t want to abandon Griffin, but she did have a moral conscience. She wasn’t one who just goes out and does whatever, whenever. She hardly left her room in Cloud Tower, what makes it seem like she it the proper candidate to offer up on some sort of mission?

“I am not so sure,” Lysslis says, a frown on her face. “She appears to rather hesitant, don’t you think?” she observed, which made Aerona freeze. How could she have picked up on that?

“It is normal to be frayed at the prospect of accomplishing what we are setting out to do,” Belldona said, a smirk on her face.

“Um...i-if you don’t mind me asking: what is it exactly that you’re planning on doing?” Aerona managed to say, although her voice was much quieter than she had initially intended.

“ _We_ are going to take over Domino!” Tharma shrieked, before she burst into a round of obnoxious laughter.

“Will you keep it down? Do you want the entire school to hear you?” Lysslis scolded.

“Domino? You mean, the kingdom of the dragon fire?” Aerona questioned. She recalled reading about the famous planet in one of her many books. It sounded like such a lovely place, and she became rather enamoured with the myths and legends that the people had written about the great dragon.

“Yes, that is the planet on which we shall launch our ultimate attack. Our Lord is in need of assistance, and what he requires, is the pure, powerful light of the dragon fire,” Belladona explained. “However, stealing this energy will be no simple feat. Domino has a vast army that needs to be destroyed in order for us to acquire it.”

“Which is why we have sought out assistance,” Lysslis said, and pointed to Griffin. “She was the first willing soul that stumbled upon our pages for more than a century. She was willing to learn, and so we have taught her. When your name was brought up, Carborane, we were wondering if you would be willing to join us on our crusade as well.”

Aerona felt her throat tighten up. They wanted her to help in the destruction of a planet? They wanted her to help steal the dragon fire? Aerona knew that the king and queen of Domino were the only known keepers of the flame, so, would she have to kill someone _again_?

“I...I….” she trembled, her brain practically shutting down. She couldn’t think of any way to escape this. Her tongue felt heavy, as if it were made of lead, and the grip on her windpipe was increasing in its intensity.

“Aerona?” Griffin called out, clearly concerned about her friend.

“See? What did I tell you? This one is completely useless.” Tharma spat. “I’m glad that we went through with our creation,” she said, which made Griffin refocus her attention on them.

“Creation? What is she talking about?”

“Do you dare question our ways? How dare you raise your insolent voice at us!” Tharma snarled, and Griffin lowered her gaze in submission.

“Calm yourself, sister,” Belladona growled, irritated by Tharma’s constant outbursts. “Griffin, as you know, we have had yet to form a proper army. Our Lord has promised to provide us with shadow creatures, yes, but it is going to take more than that to defeat Domino. We were offered the dark flame from the beginning of time, and with it, we created a son.”

Griffin’s face fell from this information. Was she not enough for the Mothers? Did they see her as weak? Is that why they had to... _create_ some sort of monster?

“Son?”

“I truly did not see why we had to make it appear as a mortal man, but we were instructed that it would make it easier for our conquest.” Lysslis explained. “Although I would have much rather prefered creating a creature of decay.”

“Who...who is this son of yours?” Griffin asked, her ego being shattered at this revelation.

Aerona noticed the diminishing strength in her voice and carefully walked over to her. She had never seen Griffin so shaken up before. A swift anger sudden roared within her, and Aerona could feel her powers burning inside her core.

_How dare they make Griffin feel so small and unimportant. How dare they raise her up, and make her appear like their savior, only to strike her down. How dare they...how...how dare they…!_

Aerona groaned and clutched at her right arm, where she could already feel some of her powers seeping through and burning her delicate skin.

Griffin turned to face Aerona, and her expression shifted to one of worry when she noticed her friend in distress.

“Ha! Look, the little one is fueled by anger!” Tharma laughed.

“Anger, you say? It appears as though she is controlled by her emotions. How petty. Belladona, where _did_ you come across such a pathetic specimen?”

“Who said that?” Aerona snarled, and flinched as her legs started to get burned.

Out of the darkness appeared a man. He had long blond hair, grey eyes, and sported a formal violet suit

“Allow me to introduce our _son_ ,” Belladona said, and brandished her arms outward, as if proudly displaying a trophy. “...Valtor.


	3. Fight

_“Fight!_

_Or run though your life!_

_Face your enemies!_

_Stand up for yourself and just believe._

_The fear is just inside, but it's hard to find._

_Use your anger to fight for your will!” -Amberian Dawn_

* * *

 

“Valtor?”

The man smirked and made his way over towards the two witches. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he said, and offered Aerona his gloved hand.

She glared down at him, and although she was inclined to ignore his pleasantry and instead use her hand to slap him upside the face, she ignored her urges. Instead she straightened up and clasped it for a tight handshake.

Aerona could feel her powers still leaking through her skin, but she didn’t exactly _mind_ if any got unto this guy’s gloves. She felt a smirk tug on the side of her lips as clear liquid seeped through her fingertips, which caused a soft fizzing sound to echo through the quiet room.

“And what exactly do you call yourself?” Valtor asked her, which stunned Aerona. Any normal person would have immediately yanked their hand back in fear of damaging it any further. Why was he acting like it had no effect on him?

“U-uh,” she mumbled, clearly losing any stance of authority that she had been holding. “Aerona--Aerona Carborane.”

Valtor nodded and turned to face Griffin. “You hardly need any introducing, madame. I’ve heard all about you from my mother’s.” he said, which made Griffin flush in embarrassment.

“Really? I’m sure what you’ve heard is nothing but simple trivialities. I do not believe that I have yet accomplished enough to be talked avidly of by such omniscient women.” she said, and lowered her eyes when Valtor looked at her straight on.

“You speak so formally and politely about my mothers. You must truly want their respect,” he said, to which he received a swift nod. “However, your friend over there, Carborane, doesn’t appear that she shares similar motives of being here.”

Aerona narrowed her eyes slightly in Valtor’s direction, but she understood how much this meant to Griffin. She couldn’t disrespect him, which would in turn disrespect the mothers--as he was their son. She had to keep a hold of her tongue, and make sure that she speak very delicately.

“You haven’t disclosed the plan with her, have you?” Valtor asked, and turned to face his three creators.

“I was against it, I argued against it, but Belladona would not listen.” Tharma snapped, upset. “She insisted on telling this girl all about it.”

“You encouraged it as well,” Lysslis retorted. “Do not act as though it were merely Belladona that explained to Carborane what we are doing. Belladona has not let us down in the past when it has come to apprentices. I’m sure that both Griffin and _Aerona_ will turn out to be excellent warriors.”

Aerona flinched at the title ‘warrior’. After what she had experienced back home, she swore that she would never become a member of the guard for any planet. She just couldn’t do it. When a planet is under attack, the defenses are let loose, and casualties end up appearing all around you. Aerona wasn’t prepared to immerse herself in such an environment, it was toxic.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t abandon Griffin. What if something were to happen to her on the battlefield? Aerona would never be able to forgive herself. Her nails dug into the palm of her hand, and although she knew immediately that she was going to regret her decision, she just needed to commit for Griffin. _Do it for her…_

Aerona took a deep breath, and amongst the squabbling between Tharma and Lysslis, she walked up to Belladona and stood her ground. She lifted her head and stared the witch straight in the eyes; beady yellow meeting fiery purple. “I’ll help you conquer Domino.”

Belladona clapped her hands together, which caused all conversation to halt mid sentence. “Excellent,” she said, and floated down next to Aerona. “We will begin preparations immediately. Valtor, you will begin training Aerona and instructing her on the basics. Do not forget that you also need to assist Griffin in perfecting everything that she already knows.”

Valtor bowed to Belladona. “As you wish,”

Belladona hovered back to where her sisters stood. “You three will now begin your training. I expect that we be ready soon, as our Lord is growing impatient as each day passes by. We will acquire the dragon fire by any means necessary,” she concluded, as the three mothers finally retreated back into the darkness.

“Why do I have to be taught by you?” Griffin asked, offended that the mothers had brushed her off to be taught by their second-hand creation.

“Because they commanded it. Do you wish for me to question as to _why_ they made that decision?” Valtor sneered, already knowing the answer.

Griffin opened her mouth to protest, but she knew better not to. She was just going to have to put up with this man for the time being. Griffin believed that the mothers would eventually realize the mistake they had made for making him teach her, and in turn, she would be their right-hand man during the battle.

“If you two are finished,” Aerona interrupted, and she received a glare from both of her comrades. “Would you mind telling me where it is we’re going to train? We can’t practice in here, and I sincerely doubt we could try it in any of the other rooms here at Cloud Tower.”

Valtor made his way towards Aerona, which caused her to flush and back into one of the caskets. “You have quite the mouth on you,” he jeered. “If this place is under so much scrutiny, how do you think I managed to come here after I was conceived?”

“Uh…” Aerona droned, not really sure how to respond to such a question.

“Were you born, or more-so, created here?” Griffin wondered. The mothers had hardly disclosed any information on Valtor. All that they had explained was that he was created from the dark flame, one that had been formed in the void during the beginning of time.

 _He must be powerful then,_ she thought. _For him to have been formed from material that the great dragon had expelled. I have to keep an eye on Aerona. She is starting these difficult teachings today and I won’t let her be shoved to the side by this creature._

“No. Although, I find it amusing that my mothers have not even revealed the circumstances of my creation to their closest confident.” he smirked, and glanced over at Griffin. The comment had stung her pride, and she turned away from him.

Aerona bit her lip, hard, to prevent anything vulgar from slipping out. She _had_ to show this guy respect. “Then where were you born?” she snapped, a little more aggressive than she might have wanted.

Valtor refocused his attention on Aerona and placed his finger under her chin so she could better look him in the eyes. “Obsidian,” he whispered.

Aerona couldn’t take this sort of treatment anymore. She whacked his hand away and sprayed some acid on his vest to make him back off, which he did. “Please refrain from invading my personal space,” she spat.

Valtor glared at her and made to reach for her wrist, but Aerona reacted quickly and let loose a stream of hydrofluoric acid. She knew what would happen once that touched him, but he had just made her so irritated! He just couldn’t listen to her warnings, could he?

In spite of the attack, Valtor coolly stood his ground and merely raised his hand in response, Aerona’s attack seemingly evaporating as soon as it touched his glove. “Was that all you can do?” he teased.

Aerona gaped, completely dumbfounded at what he had just done. _Did...did he absorb my attack? What the hell!_

“How did you do that?” she asked, and jumped when he started to laugh.

“That is simply one of the many powers that I have been gifted with,” he said. “Now do you understand why I was the one put in charge of increasing your abilities?”

Griffin nodded, some admiration beginning to take place of the indignation that filled the majority of her mind.

“Good, now let’s get started.”

* * *

It had been several weeks since Aerona had begun her rigorous training with Valtor and Griffin. The three had been practicing in Obsidian, where Valtor had been created, as the amount of energy there would be ideal in increasing their strength.

Although he occasionally got on her nerves, Aerona had to admit that what Valtor was teaching her, was very valuable. Not only were her powers stronger, she could also go on longer without having the chemicals burn through her skin. She was learning to regulate her body temperature and water count to make sure that the reactions would be minimal as she fought.

She had earned a couple more spells as well: one that released blasts of liquid cyanide, one that released a torrent of tabun, and one that released thousands of tiny needles coated in batrachotoxin. Aerona was starting to feel more and more confident about her abilities, and she had even taken on Griffin on a one-on-one match. It had been a close call, but in the end, Griffin had just barely taken the cake.

Despite her defeat, Aerona was scheduled to take on Valtor himself that day. She was fairly nervous, but Griffin kept telling her that she would be just fine as long as she concentrated and kept her cool.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Aerona questioned, and fidgeted where she stood. Her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. She could feel that her muscles were beginning to tense, and even the familiar burning sensation her powers were known to cause was beginning to creep across her arms and legs.

Griffin offered her a kind smile. “You’ll do fine, Aerona. The more that you doubt yourself, the more likely it is that you are going to fail. You need to quit thinking that you’re inadequate, you’ve grown leaps and bounds since we started.”

Aerona flushed at Griffin’s compliments and gave her an awkward head nod in return. She could do this, Griffin believed in her. Aerona needed to prove that she wasn’t a foe to be taken likely. She was going to be the perfect ally on the battlefield, she was going to be the unstoppable force that everyone in Magix would talk about after they had seized control of Domino.

 _Wait...what?_ she had to stop her train of thought. Was she really thinking this way? Could she really go through with this?

“Ah Aerona, I see that you showed up after all,” Valtor cooed, as he walked into the room.

Aerona took a deep breath to calm her breathing, and then followed Valtor’s lead. “Of course I did. What, after all this time, did you really believe that I wouldn’t _want_ to kick your ass?”

Valtor narrowed his eyes at her. “Watch your tongue. I am still your superior,” he barked.

“What, scared that I might be taking more of an authority charge than you?” Aerona mocked.

Valtor smirked and quickly prepared himself for battle. “You will truly regret ever speaking to me in such a manner.”

“Bring it on,” Aerona said, and positioned herself as she earned her witch outfit.

Valtor took her stance as the initiation of the fight and immediately went at her. He leapt into the air and began to levitate freely, where he then launched a barrage of fire attacks.

Aerona slid across the smooth floor and dodged a majority of the projectiles, but a few still remained and were staying on course. Aerona created a ball of peroxide in her hand, and before the fire could come into contact with her, she kicked it with her boots and sent it hurtling back. As the finishing touch, she released her own attack, and when the two collided, a huge explosion rocked the area.

Valtor went flying in the opposite direction from the blast, as did large chunks of rock that had been pulled apart during eruption. He quickly raised his hands and stopped them from colliding into him, and then he threw them at Aerona.

Aerona lept into the air, easily dodging the large boulders as they lugged below her. She sent out a stream of batrachotoxin needles in his direction, which Valtor simply absorbed. “You really need to stop doing that,” Aerona grumbled, irritated. “That’s basically cheating!”

“War is a dirty game, my dear,” he said, and rebounded her own attack.

Aerona screeched and blasted liquid oxygen from her hands, instantly melting the tiny darts. “That was dirty,” she growled. “Bastard….” she mumbled, and ejected a wave of tabun in his direction.

Valtor smirked, as he realized that she was beginning to unravel. She was getting sloppy, and much more brash. He decided that it would be more fun to play with mind, and instead of retaliating, he created a large cloud of fog that engulfed the battle field.

Aerona blinked, and whirled around, completely confused. “What the--?” she gasped, completely baffled at what just occurred. _What is he playing at? Why would he just create a large wall of fog? Is he trying to disorient me?_

Aerona narrowed her eyes to try and see if she could make out any figures, but she could hardly even discern where the ground was. She attempted to fly above it, but wherever she went, the fog seemed to follow. _Guess I’ll have to find and defeat Valtor in order for this to dissipate…_

“Are you ever going to find me, though, is the question,” Valtor’s voice said, although it sounded as though he had completely surrounded her.

“You’re so childish. You can’t even fight me hand-to-hand so you have to resort to cheap tricks like this,” Aerona spat.

“Oh? You truly believe that you could win if you fought me? How cute. The only reason that you’re here is because my mothers instructed me to teach you. If I had it my way, you would have been disposed of as soon as you stepped into the crypt.”

Aerona flinched, his words stung her, and she could feel tears well up in her eyes. _I can’t believe I’m letting this get to me…_ she thought. “Obviously they see some potential in me, otherwise they would have gotten rid of me themselves.” she shouted back.

“I’m sure they were just giving you a chance because Griffin appeared so eager once the both of you were in their presence.” he jibed, and suddenly, he had grabbed Aerona from behind.

She grunted and blasted him with sulfuric acid. She thought she might have gotten him, but when she turned out, she saw no one there. _Was that an illusion too?_

“Why would they care so much about her opinion? It’s obvious that even their nature can be tested, as Tharma was more than willing to kick us both out.”

“True...but I believe that Belladona cares for Griffin. She wouldn’t let her feel disappointment, not at such a crucial time as this. You both are disposable in the end. During the final battle, you’ll be used as decoys while my mothers and I go after the dragon fire.”

Aerona went pale, and she felt as though she might be sick. _So...this was their motive all along. They would find two naive and alienated girls, use the temptation of glory to lure them out and do their bidding, and once they’ve completed their task, they’re kicked to the curb. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall for all of this! To fall for all of their lies!_

“I...I...I can’t believe it...how...how could you do that…?” she whispered, and felt an intense burn travel through her body. Steam was rising from her as her skin started burning, and deadly chemicals seeped through her fingers.

“Why should we care what happens to you both? You’re mere mortals, and we...we are _gods_.”

“Shut up!” Aerona screamed. “Shut up, shut up, _shut up!_ ” she yelled into the void. More steam was rising from her, so much that she had trouble seeing right in front of her. “I can’t believe that you would play with _her_ like that! S-she trusted you! She believed that what was doing is right, she believed that everything she would do would help you! I-I can’t believe it! You...you’re so selfish! You...you _monster!_ ” she cried.

What happened next, occurred so fast, Aerona could hardly remember what had took place. Mere seconds after her outburst, an explosion rocked obsidian, an explosion of such magnitude that rock was raining from the sky afterwards, that cracks had formed on the ground and walls, and that little fires had sprung up from the sheer heat.

Aerona groaned and looked around, her eyes going cross for a second, before they readjusted themselves. “What happened?” she asked, and rubbed her sore head.

She heard a grunt to her left, and she quickly darted over to find that it was Valtor. Dust coated his suit, and pieces of rubble were strung into his long hair. “A-are you alright?” Aerona said, and offered him her hand.

He stared up at her, which sent a jolt through her body. “I’m fine,” he said, and took her offered hand.

Aerona pulled him up and steadied him, slight concern etching across her visage. “What happened?” she repeated.

“You did,” Valtor said, and began to dust himself off.

“W-what? I-I did this?” she stuttered, as fear began to wash across her.

“Of course. Don’t you remember?” he questioned, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Aerona flushed, and looked away bashfully. “N-no…” she felt so foolish admitting that she was no idea what transpired. One minute she was surrounded by fog, the next she was screaming, and then, boom! Explosion!

“It seems that my taunting had gone a bit overboard. You released all of your pent up rage and what ensued was a powerful chemical blast.” Valtor explained. “I never knew that you had that in your,” he said, and offered her a smirk. “You’re more interesting than I thought.”

Aerona looked away from his intense gaze, not really wanting to gaze up at him after her embarrassing debacle. “Wait,” she said, the realization suddenly hitting her like a ton of bricks. “Where’s Griffin?” she asked, fear and panic entering her voice.

“Do not worry, she had retreated back to Cloud Tower once the fight began. She is safe,” Valtor reassured.

Aerona nodded, and felt herself slowly start to calm down. “So uh...I guess I win, huh?”

Valtor chuckled, and offered her his hand. “I suppose I can honor you with this victory.”

Aerona smiled and took a strong hold of him. “Thanks,” she said, and followed Valtor through a portal leading back to Cloud Tower.

 _Oh, do I have some interesting things to report…_ Valtor thought, as lead Aerona back into the calm, dark crypt of his mothers.


	4. My Confession

_“Somebody hides inside my mind,_  
We're bound together.  
This is my confession.  
Soulmate or enemy, a thorn in my religion.  
Release my heart,  
Unfold my tongue. ” -Kamelot

* * *

“She blew up, you say?”

“I really don’t see how someone so feeble could pull off such a thing. I don’t believe it!”

“Now Tharma, are you really starting to doubt our son’s credibility?”

“Indeed mother, you hurt me so,” Valtor feigned distress at his youngest caretaker’s comment.  He looked up at her with a slight pleading look in his grey eyes, which caused the woman coated in red to fidget uncomfortably where she stood before him.

“I...I didn’t mean it like that! She...just didn’t seem to be capable of smashing rocks from Obsidian into smithereens.” she said, and frowned. Tharma really couldn’t believe that the petite witch who had been in their presence merely several hours earlier, had caused mass destruction within a realm of pure evil.

“If the state of my attire is any indication as to how powerful the blast was,” Valtor said, and indicated to his charred cuffs and dusty suit. “Not to mention my hair,” he grumbled, as he continued to pick out rubble from its long strands.

“Where did such a force come from?” Lysslis inquired, as she floated down to attend to her sons disheveled appearance.

“I’m not quite sure. Although, it did seem to be triggered after I had begun belittling her,” he said, and thanked Lysslis once he was back to his former glory. “You did mention earlier, however, that she is somewhat based on her emotions, or at least her ability to control her powers is.”

“Yes, I did,” Tharma interjected. “But wouldn’t you have solved this problem by now, what with all the training you three have been doing?”

“I sincerely doubt that something so primal could ever fully be erased,” Valtor said, to which Belladona nodded her head in agreement.

“Indeed. Most magical folk exhibit this sort of behavior, Aerona is not an outlier. Nevertheless, the intensity of such an outburst is quite uncommon. You must have truly filled her with rage in order to experience that reaction.”

Valtor smirked, a bit too pleased at her comment. “She was quite upset with what I was saying. Still, it seems that more practice is going to be needed with Aerona if she is going to accompany us to Domino. We can’t have her performing such a stunt again in the heat of battle, she could easily injure or kill many of our forces.”

“Agreed. The three of us have planned to move out shortly, so I expect that this little hiccup be sorted out quickly,” Belladona stated.

Valtor bowed before her. “As you wish,”

With that final salute, the three mothers had vanished back within their caskets, leaving Valtor alone inside the crypt. He sighed, and adjusted his gloves. “This is going to be more tedious than I had initially planned,” he mumbled, and decided the next best course of action was to find Aerona.

He knew that there was only one other place she could be, so he created a portal and hopped inside. Within several seconds, he had arrived within Aerona’s tiny dormitory. Valtor glanced around and noticed that the room was quite dark, but despite the lack of light, he could easily make out the form of a figure sitting up in their bed.

“Aerona,” he said, casually, as he walked up towards her.

The woman in question whirled around, her eyes wide and her mouth poised for a scream, but Valtor quickly silenced her before the entire hall heard her.

Aerona narrowed her eyes, and once she recognized who it was she shoved his hand away. “What the _hell_ is wrong with you?” she seethed, and flicked on a nearby lamp.

“I was merely coming up to talk with you,” Valtor replied, and sat down beside her on the bed.

“Talk…? You understand that the common courtesy is to knock, correct?” she snapped, and readjusted herself so that they were sitting side-by-side.

“Yes, I understand. However, do _you_ understand how easily it could have been for another student to spot me making my way up here? Now that wouldn’t have raised any alarms, would it? Just a _male_ wizard walking through an all _female_ witch academy.”

Aerona flinched, because she knew he was right. Dammit. “Well, you still could have knocked.” she huffed, and rubbed her sore eyes. She really wasn’t planning on interacting with anyone for the rest of the day. “What do you want anyways?”

“My mothers wanted me to discuss something with you,” he began, which immediately set her on edge. “Nothing too serious, so don’t worry your little mind on that. It’s merely over what transpired at Obsidian.”

Aerona let out a long exhale, slightly relieved that the topic of conversation wasn’t over something more significant. “Oh, that. What’s the big deal? So what, I blew up a couple of rocks. You can nullify any attack that gets thrown at you with your _bare hands_ , why is it such an issue for me to...explode?”

“I was created by pure energy. My entire being was carved around the powerful dark energy that was born from the essence of life. It is expected for me to have incredible abilities beyond the comprehension of most magical minds. You, however, only started training with Griffin and I several weeks ago, and yet you’ve already managed to release a spell strong enough to knock _me_ out.” He explained, calmly, not one emotion seeping through his cool facade.

“I-I don’t really see how this is a problem. Shouldn’t you all be happy that I’m this strong?” Aerona asked. She clearly didn’t understand why this was an issue. If she was more powerful, she would be able to accomplish the mission much quicker.

Wait, mission?

_I...I’m not a soldier...am I?_

“The attack was strong, yes, but you were only able to harness it after I triggered an emotional response from you. We cannot rely on you if you’re powered by your emotions, it makes you unpredictable, and a sloppy warrior.”

“But...I-I’m not a warrior,” Aerona said, and stared at Valtor straight on.

He chuckled, slightly baffled at her comment. “Of course you are. You’re going to be fighting in perhaps one of the most monumental wars, how are you _not_ a warrior?”

“B-because I’m not! I...I just don’t kill people! I’ve never killed anyone, I swear!”

Valtor frowned, not really sure where all of these comments were coming from. “I never said that you have.”

“But you did though! You said I was a warrior, and a warrior kills people!” Aerona stated, her voice shaken, laced with fear and anxiety.

“A warrior fights for the greater good and what they believe they deserve,” Valtor retaliated. The way Aerona was portraying herself...he had never seen her like this before. Was it all the added stress? Is that what was affecting her?

“The greater _good_? You think the greater good entitles killing innocent civilians? You think that’s what they deserve? To be murdered right before your very eyes because they were halting the progress of the greater good? Is that what you really think?” she shrieked, and suddenly, she was off of the bed, with tears streaming down her face.

“Aerona--”

“No! That’s what you believe! You think I’m going to fall for this? Huh? I knew this was a bad idea. I don’t know why I even agreed to help Griffin. Killing off an entire planet? What do I look like to you?”

“A warrior.”

Aerona let out a shrill noise, and she clutched either side of her head. “Don’t you _dare_ call me that! How can you say that to me?”

Valtor glared at her, and in one swift movement, he had gotten up off the bed and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What is this nonsense you’re spouting?” he growled, and shook her tiny frame. “If you didn’t want all of these responsibilities thrust upon you, then why did you even agree to help us?”

“Because of _her_!” Aerona gasped, and sunk to the floor as tears streamed down her visage like tiny rivers.

Valtor blinked, confused for a split second, before he joined her on the ground. “You mean Griffin?”

Aerona nodded, and wiped away some of the tears with the back of her hand. “I...I couldn’t just let her go through this alone. She’s all I have here, and if I knew this would lead to her death...and it was avoidable, I would never be able to forgive myself.”

“Why are you so adamant on protecting her? Griffin was the one to find the book, Griffin was the one who agreed to help my mothers, and Griffin is the one who dragged you into this whole mess. You must have known the implications of stealing such an intense source of magic, so why go through with it?”

Aerona glared up at him. “You’ve never had a meaningful relationship once in your life, have you?” she spat, and inched away from his vicinity, and then laughed lowly to herself, as a twisted grin formed on her lips. “How could you? You were created, like some sort of _freak_ lab experiment. The most human interaction you’ve received in your entire life is when Griffin finally showed up.”

“Do not discuss the details of my history as if you've known me for quite some time, when in reality, it's only been a few weeks,” Valtor spat back.

“What, like you’ve been around _that_ long. Belladona herself stated that you were only created to be the perfect weapon, the leader for your Lords never ending army of darkness.”

“That’s enough,” Valtor snarled, and went to slap her.

Aerona’s eyes narrowed into deadly slits, and with equal speed and accuracy, she blocked his blow, and grabbed a tight hold of his hand. She felt acid burning through her fingertips, and she let the liquid ooze out of her skin, allowing it to bleed into the leather of Valtor’s gloves.

It jolted her to see that he hardly reacted to her assault. He remained as rigid as ever, almost as if he were a marble statue. Her grip on his wrist faltered slightly, and she noticed that his expression had softened, which caused her defenses to go down, even though she did not want them to. _Everybody lies_ , her subconscious echoed, the mantra that she had learned to lean on throughout her life; she could never truly know someone’s motives just by their gestures alone. She visibly flinched when Valtor put his hands on her arms, and Aerona looked away from his gaze.

“I know that your life must not have been easy,” he began, which immediately grabbed her attention. “Despite all that, you have potential, we all see it within us. You’re strong now, but just wait till we’ve completed training. I understand that the idea of tearing a world apart may not be the fondest of legacies to leave behind. Yet, look at me. What you said was true. I’m nothing more than the perfect leader for this massive army. I’m going to be nothing more than the _monster_ that invaded Domino. I sincerely believe that I will be wiped out within the very first wave, and once I’m gone, who will even remember my existence? I was simply a puppet, and nothing more.”

Aerona blinked, and feelings of reassurance started to pool within her as Valtor began confessing. Should she really trust everything that he was saying?

Aerona’s nails dug into her thigh, not sure of how to react. He was being so sincere, but this reflection would only be sincere only if she believed it to be. Despite knowing that it was wrong to fall for it all...somehow, she _wanted_ to listen and go along with everything that Valtor was saying. She couldn’t really explain it. Aerona despised being lied to, but right now...it felt okay to let that rule slide...for now.

“N-no, I…” she started, and sniffled. Her voice sounded so weak, and so foreign. “I shouldn’t be acting so childish... I just want her to be happy.”

Valtor inwardly smirked, for his ploy to gain an ounce of trust had worked. He knew that sympathizing with Aerona would motivate her to confide in him. “Yes... do it for her.”

Aerona looked up once he said this, a powerful determination in her eyes that sent a shockwave through him once they made eye contact.

She had to do it for her. She had to become a warrior, she had to help lead the war on Domino, she had to steal the dragon fire, she had to die for her cause.

She had to it for _her_.


End file.
